Her Comet
by kyla-marie cullen
Summary: He Shot Back Into Her Life Like A Meteor, But Is He Too Late?
1. Wedding Bells?

**A/N: My favorite OTH couple has always been Peyton and Jake, and i think they should have ended up together. So this is my "Jeyton" story. It takes place at Lucas and Peyton`s wedding and Peyton is not pregnant. Hope you enjoy =)  
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It`s finally here. The day I`ve been waiting for, for as long as I can remember. I was finally going to marry Lucas.

"Hold still!" Brooke said through a mouth full of bobby pins. "If you keep moving, i`m not going to be able to finish your hair." It was nice to have Brooke here with me. "Thanks for doing this Brooke." "Are you kidding me? I wouldn`t miss this for the world." I smiled at her in the mirror, and she smiled back. "So what`s going on with you and Julian?" "ugh, do not get me started." She huffed and continued with my hair. "Brooke…He told you he loved you, and you`re just going to avoid him?" She looked down to the floor and sighed, then looked back at me. "I`m scared, Peyton". I turned around in the chair and looked directly at her. "What? Brooke Davis isn`t scared of anything" "Yeah, well i`m scared of this. Of him." "What do you mean?" Her eyes glazed over, and she looked as if she was about to cry. "I love him." I smiled at her, "Then why didn`t you say it back?" "I love him. I`m in love with him."  
She paused, and started again. "I love him so much Peyton. And it scares me." I took her over and sat her down on the couch. "Love is a scary thing. I know Julian, and it was hard for him to say it, but he means it, and I know he does." She half smiled at me. "Really?" I smiled back at her "Really." She reached over and gave me a hug. "Thank you Peyton." "I love you " She hugged me tighter and said "I love you too, "

We stood up and she finished my hair and smoothed out my dress. She looked at me and her eyes lit up. "You look beautiful, Peyton." "Yeah, I do look pretty hot don`t I?" I smiled and we both laughed. "Come on, lets get you married." As we walked toward the door, there was a knock. I looked at Brooke, "Its probably Haley. You answer the door, i`m going to grab the ring." I turned around to grab the ring off the table. Brooke opened the door, and there was a slight hesitation before she turned around to me. "uhm….Peyton?" "Hm?" I swung around to face her and I froze.

"Hi Peyton."  
Brooke looked at me and then looked back at him. "I'll leave you two alone." Looking back at me, she said "Don`t be too long." And walked out the door, closing it behind her.  
"Jake…" I walked over to him and hugged him tight. "What are you doing here?" "It`s nice to see you too" he smiled at me. "I didn`t want to miss this." I missed Jake like crazy. I haven't seen him in four years, and now all of a sudden he just shows up.  
"Is Jenny with you?" He shook his head, "No, she`s with my parents back home." "Jake, why didn`t you tell me you where coming?" He looked up at me and half smiled. "I wanted to surprise you." He paused and looked around. "And I couldn`t let you do this without seeing you again." "Jake this really isn`t the time or the place" He took my hand and led me over to the couch and sat me down. "Please, just hear me out." I sighed. "Okay."  
"Peyton. I love you. I`ve always loved you. That day in Savannah…it killed me to hear you say Lucas` name, and when you left…I felt so empty." It hurt to hear him say that. I love Jake. No. I _loved_ Jake. We aren`t together anymore. He can`t do this. "Jake, please. I`m getting married. To Lucas. You can`t just show up like this and do this to me. It`s my _wedding_ day Jake." "I know. I know. I do. But just listen." I sat back and let him finish.  
"You were everything to me and I never stopped loving you Peyton. Never. Every waking thought, and every night before I go to sleep, you`re the only thing I think about. I think about what could have been and what we could have had together." He paused and held onto my hand. "I should have fought for you, I know that, and I am so sorry that I didn`t. But i`m fighting for you now, and I won`t stop. I can`t let you marry him without knowing if you still love me." I tried to stop myself from crying, but the tears streamed down my face. "Jake…I…" "If you don`t love me, then i`ll leave, but if you do…I have to know Peyton." I wiped the tears from my eyes and I turned to face him. "I do love you. I never stopped. But I _love_ Lucas. His ring is on my finger, and he is the one waiting for me at the alter. I`m marrying Lucas. He is the one that i`m meant to be with." I heard the words come out of my mouth, but I wasn`t sure if I believed them. Jake closed his eyes and turned his head away from me. "I`m sorry Jake." He turned back to me with tears in his eyes and smiled. "I`m sorry too."  
We got up and walked over to the door. He touched my arm and softly smiled at me "Congratulations Peyton. You deserve happiness, and i`m glad you found it." "Thank you Jake" I gave him one last hug and headed toward the door. I slowly came to a stop, and turned back around to face him. "Jake?" He looked back at me "Yes?" "Will you stay? For the wedding? It would mean a lot to me if you were here." I saw the pain in his eyes. I understood that it would be hard for him to stay and see me marry Lucas. But he was a big part of my life, and I wanted him to be here for me. He walked over to me and kissed me lightly on the cheek. "Of course." He walked out the door and headed out to the ceremony. As I watched him leave, I took a deep breath and exhaled. I walked over to the mirror and stood in front of it, staring at my reflection, and said to myself "I`m doing the right thing. This is what I want." I looked out the window at everyone gathered for the ceremony. I sighed, and headed outside.

I was greeted by Brooke, who gave me a look, as if to say '_what happened'. _I glanced at her and shook my head, "not now." She nodded her head, and the music started. She turned around and headed down the isle. I took another deep breath and followed behind her. Everyone rose and I walked down the pathway to Lucas, who was standing at the alter, a gleam in his eye. I couldn't help but to smile when I saw him, which made me want to get there faster. I kept my pace and eventually reached Lucas and Haley.  
Everyone sat down, and Haley started the ceremony. Lucas and I stared into each others eyes as she spoke. Lucas recited his vows, and I followed with mine. I started to cry as Lucas read me his vows, although I couldn`t tell if they were tears of happiness, or tears of regret. I could feel something pulling at my insides. I didn`t know what to do.  
Haley turned to Lucas. "Do you, Lucas Eugene Scott, take Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, to be your lawfully wedded wife?" He looked at me, and smiled, "I do." Haley then turned to me. "Do you, Peyton Elizabeth Sawyer, take Lucas Eugene Scott to be your lawfully wedded husband?" I looked up at Lucas, who was still smiling at me, and out of the corner of my eye I could see _him_. I turned to look at him, and then quickly turned back to Lucas. "I…I…uhm…I". What was I doing? Why couldn`t I just say it? I could hear the voice in my head screaming '_I do! I do! I do!', _but I couldn`t say it out loud. Lucas whispered to me "Peyton? Is everything okay?" I looked at him, feeling myself start to cry, and I looked back to Jake. My heart started to race and it was almost as if I could feel it being pulled in two different directions. I looked back up at Lucas. "I…Uhm…I…" I thought to myself, '_come on Peyton! Get a grip. Just say "I do", just say it!'. _ I looked around, and everyone had confused looks on their faces. I could hear Brooke behind me saying "Peyton! What are you doing?!". Honestly, I didn`t know.  
I didn`t know what I wanted anymore. I wanted Lucas. I _want _Lucas…don`t I?

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**A/N: Will she end up with Jake? Or will she stay with Lucas???  
I hope you liked it! Chapter 2 coming soon!  
**

***Pleas R&R! Much Appreciated!* **


	2. Taking Some Time

"Peyton?"  
Lucas looked worried, and I guess he should be.  
I just stood there, looking like a complete idiot. Why couldn't I just say 'I do' and live happily ever after with Lucas?  
I slowly looked up at him with an apologetic look in my eyes. "Lucas…I-I". He turned and looked at Haley and whispered to her "We need a moment. Stall for us?". She nervously nodded and Lucas took my hand and pulled me inside. As we were walking away, I could hear Haley say something about us forgetting the rings.  
Part of me wanted to turn around and look at Jake, but I knew I couldn`t look at him like this.

We pushed through the doors and we sat down inside, facing each other.  
"Peyton, is everything okay?" I started to cry. "Lucas i`m so sorry! I don`t know what`s wrong with me" He took my face in his hands and smiled at me "There is nothing wrong with you. I completely understand." I hesitated. Did he see Jake? "You…understand?" "Of course. I`m a little overwhelmed myself" I let out a small sigh of relief "Yeah. It`s a lot to take in"  
He took my hands in his and squeezed them tight. "Peyton. If your not ready to do this, we can wait" It surprised me a little to hear him say it. "I know. It's a little last minute to postpone the wedding, but i`m sure they`ll understand." I looked at him lovingly. "You would do that for me?" He smiled "I would do anything for you" I smiled back and he wrapped me in his arms. He made me feel so warm and safe. Why was I so hesitant earlier? The way I felt now made me want to run back outside and scream 'I DO!' at the top of my lungs. He pulled me back and held me out at arms length and just smiled at me. Maybe it is best that we postpone the wedding. It would give me time to think about, well, Jake.

Lucas stood up and took my hand. We headed back outside, hearing curious whispers from the guests.  
Haley looked a little nervous, but we just smiled at her and I whispered her a thank you. We turned and faced our guests, hand in hand, and Lucas started our apology."First of all, we just want to thank all of you for coming. It means a lot having your support." He looked over at me, and then back at the guests. "Unfortunately, were both feeling a little overwhelmed and have decided to call of the wedding-" I jumped in with "temporarily!" and he smiled over at me and continued. "-to _temporarily_ call off the wedding until a time when we are more settled. But please feel free to stay for the reception, we are still having it. No need to cancel the party right?" There were gasps and jumbled chatter from everyone, and we turned around to Haley. She looked at us like we were crazy. "Uhm..is everything okay?" I didn`t really feel like saying anything at this point. I already felt so bad for doing this to Lucas. He nodded at Haley, "Everything is fine. I think this whole wedding issue just happened so fast so I think were just going to take some time and sort things out. Thank you for doing this for us though Hails. It means a lot." He opened his arms and gave her a hug. "Anytime. But don`t ever scare me like that again" she lightly punched him in the arm, "I was worried"

Her and I both.

To my surprise, almost everyone showed up at the 'would be" reception.  
By this time, I had changed out of my wedding dress and into a cocktail dress. Don`t want to ruin the wedding dress, i`ll still need it. Right?  
I walked around and talked to some of the guests, still apologizing for the days earlier events, which they all waved off and said "it happens" or "just remember to invite us to real one". This one was real. Or at least it was supposed to be, until _he_ came and ruined everything. Ugh.

"What the hell?!" I closed my eyes and turned around to face Brooke. "Are you insane? Is this because of Ja-" I covered her mouth before she could finish saying his name. I grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the reception to somewhere where could talk privately. I let go of her arm and she held it close to her "Uhm, ow!" "I`m sorry. I just don`t want anyone knowing he was there. Lucas doesn`t know and I don`t want him to find out." Brooke crossed her arms and stared at me "Is this all seriously because of Jake?" I sighed and looked down. "I don`t know". I looked back up at her. "Today was supposed to be a fairytale. I was going to marry Luke, and everything was going to be amazing. But then Jake came in out of no where and complicated everything." She gave me an odd look. "P. You don`t still have feelings for him do you?" I was a little shocked that she had even asked me that. "What?! No! of course not" She didn`t budge. "Do not lie to me Peyton. Do. You. Love. Him?" I closed my eyes and sighed. "Yes" "Peyton!" "Brooke, please, just don`t. I`m just confused. I mean, Jake and I had something amazing. It was like fireworks going off every time we were together. And then I ruined it. I ruined it." She looked at me, almost sympathetically. "So this was about Jake" It wasn`t a question. "I just need some time to think. It`s just like a bomb went off on me and my mind is every where. I need to figure it all out." She pulled me in and hugged me tightly. "Whatever you need, i`m here for you. I won`t say anything. I`ll help you figure it out." I started to sob in her shoulder. "Thank-you Brooke" She let go of me and gave me a slight smile. "Come on. Lets go back out there and party." As we were heading back out to the reception, Jake walked up to us and I stiffened. Brooke looked back at me. "I`ll keep Lucas occupied. You need to talk to him." I nodded at her and watched her walk away, leaving me alone with Jake. Again.

"Peyton. I`m sorry." I crossed my arms and looked up at him. "You ruined my wedding day." He looked sad. "That was never my intention Peyton. I just wanted to know if you still loved me like I love you. I want you to be happy, and if Lucas makes you happy, then that's okay. He`s a great guy and he'll take care of you." "Jake…" I wanted to tell him that I did still love him. But now wasn`t the best time. I needed to figure it out before I said anything. "I know. I just came to say goodbye. I`m sorry and good luck with Luc-" I cut him off. "You`re leaving? Already? You just got here" Why did I not want him to leave. If he left everything would go back to normal. Wouldn't it? "Peyton, I can see i`ve caused enough damage today, and that i`ve hurt you. I`m going home. Goodbye." He turned around and started to leave. _Don`t do it Peyton. Let him leave. _But I couldn`t. I reached out and grabbed his arm. "Wait. Please. Don`t go."  
What was I doing? This wasn`t going to make things any easier.  
He came so close to me, I could feel his body almost touching mine. "If you want me to stay, i`ll stay. Just say the words Peyton". _NO PEYTON! TELL HIM TO GO! RUN INTO LUCAS' ARMS AND TELL HIM YOU LOVE HIM AND YOU WANT TO BE HIS FOREVER! _ Part of me wanted him to stay. With me. But part of me wanted him to leave so I can focus on being with Lucas. My Lucas. But which one wins? My heart? Or my head? I slowly looked up into his eyes.  
"Stay. Please"  
He smiled and hugged me tightly. "Anything for you"  
Well. Shit.

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**Hey! Sorry it took so long. I`ve been a little busy lately.  
Hope you like the second part. Chapter 3 coming shortly!  
**

**Please R&R! Peace and Love! **


	3. A Chance To Talk

I layed in bed staring at the ceiling. I should have told him to go, that I chose Lucas and that I loved him. It scared me that I couldn't. What the hell was I going to do?  
I looked around the room, my eyes eventually resting on Lucas. I smiled softly to myself. He was so perfect. Perfect for me. I turned my body towards his and slid my arm over him, holding his hand in mine. I liked the way our hands fit so perfectly together, like we were made for each other. _He's the one_ I thought to myself, and he shifted in his sleep, gripping my hand tighter. I moved closer to him, closed my eyes and whispered in his ear "I love you". He turned to face me and kissed me gently. "I love you to Peyton." I smiled and opened my eyes, looking into his. Only it wasn't Lucas looking back at me, it was Jake.

I shot up in the bed. _It was just a dream _I thought. I love Lucas, not Jake.  
I took a deep breath and looked over to see Lucas, but the bed was empty. I looked around the room, stopping in front of the closet when I noticed that a few of his bags were packed. I crawled out of bed and headed into the kitchen.  
"Luke?"  
"Hey Peyton". He came over and kissed me, most likely expecting me to kiss him back, so when I didn`t he pulled back with a worried look on his face. "Is everything okay?" I slowly looked up at him and forced a smile "yeah," I put my arms around him and pulled him in tight "everything's perfect" and I kissed him.  
I couldn`t exactly say "No, everything is not okay. I had this dream and I was thinking about how amazing you are and how we fit perfectly together and about how much a love you, only it wasn't you, it was Jake". I don`t really think that would have gone over to well. Even though it was just a dream, it sure felt real, and I need to figure out what to do because these sudden, _minor_, feelings that I was having for Jake were driving me nuts, and I can't keep hiding it from Lucas. Its not fair to him.

"I got a call from Grace this morning. She needs me to fly out to New York for a couple days to straighten some things out with the new book."  
So that's why his bags were packed. I gave a sigh of relief. "Grace huh? Another female publisher. Should I be worried?" I joked to him. He smiled and placed his hands on my shoulders "Grace is a 56 year old married women with 3 kids, and 4 grandkids. I think you're safe. Besides, I'm not into the whole 'married women' thing." He grinned and I lightly smacked him in the arm. "When does she want you to leave?" "As soon as I can, so I'm heading out this afternoon. I'll only be gone for a few days." That soon? "Oh, okay…" "Sorry Peyton. I really wish I could stay here and spend my time with you, but I have to finish this book." He rubbed my arms gently. "Don't worry about it, it' fine." "Good." He smiled at me softly. "Okay, now I have to run over to Nathan and Haley's, but I'll be back in time to say goodbye." He grabbed his keys off the table and headed towards the door. "I love you Peyton Sawyer." I smiled "I love you, Lucas Scott" and with that, he was gone.  
I guess him being away gives me some time to spend with Jake and figure out what to do about him. I sighed, feeling like it would take longer than a few days to straighten things out, but I had to try. I headed to the bedroom to get dressed. Might as well get started. I had a feeling it would be a long day.

After I finished getting dressed and what not, I phoned Brooke. If there was anyone who could help me figure out what to do about Jake, it was her.  
"Hey, P" "Brooke, I need your help." I could hear the worry in her voice. "Is everything okay?" "Not exactly. It's Jake. After our talk last night, he was going to leave, but…I told him to stay." I braced myself for her wrath.  
"WHAT? Peyton!" "I know, I know. It was stupid." I could see her rolling her eyes at me through the phone. "Stupid? I think there are a lot of better words you could have used. Brainless, moronic, senseless, idiotic maybe?" She sighed "does Lucas know?" "No, not yet."  
I told her about my dream and about Lucas having to leave for New York for a few days. "I figure that with Lucas being out of town, that gives me some time to talk with Jake and sort things out." "I don't like this Peyton. You and Jake are dangerous when your around each other. If Luke finds out he-" "He's not going to. You can't mention this to anyone, not even Haley or Nathan. Please Brooke. I'm going to tell him, I promise, I just need to figure everything out." She didn't say anything. "Brooke?" "Fine. But you have to tell him, P." "I know, I will. But in the meantime, what am I supposed to do about Jake?" "Definitely have a talk with him. Make sure its somewhere semi public. Anywhere private will just be disastrous for you two." I rolled my eyes as she continued. "Tell him that you love Lucas, he's the one you chose, and that he needs to go home to Jenny. And make sure he understands. Do not let him try and convince you that you guys are meant to be together. That was years ago and you've moved on, and he needs to, too." I knew she was right, but why didn't it feel that way? "Peyton? Did you hear me?" "Uh, yeah. Thanks Brooke" "Let me know how it goes okay?" "Yeah, I will." I heard the front door open and Lucas call my name. "Luke's home, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later." "Yeah okay. Good luck ." I hung up the phone and headed into the living room to see him. "Hey." He closed the door and walked over to me. "You'll never guess who I saw today." I raised my eyebrows, waiting for him to tell me. "Jake Jagielski." I froze, feeling my heart start to beat uncontrollably. "Oh?" "Yeah he was walking down the street so I pulled over and talked with him for a bit." "Really? What about?" My heart was beating faster and I felt as if it was going to beat right out of my chest. "What we've been up to over the years. Can you believe Jenny is 9 years old?" I missed that little girl so much. "Wow. Time flies, huh?" I tried to keep my voice from shaking. "Yeah, no kidding. It would have been nice to see her but he is here by himself." "Really?" "Yeah, he said he left something behind when he left that meant a lot too him so be came back to try and get it back." My breathing got harder. "Oh" "Yeah. It must be something really special if he came back after all these years to find it." Why did my mouth feel so dry? "Yeah, must be." Lucas smiled at me "It was really nice to see him though. I'm sure he'd love to see you again, you should visit with him while he's here." I slightly smiled back at him "That's a good idea, I'll do that." Lucas headed into the bedroom to grab his bags. I really needed to talk to Jake. He had to be gone by the time Lucas gets back home.  
He came back out into the living room, his bags in hand. "Would you mind driving me to the airport?" "Of course not." He kissed my cheek "Thanks Peyton". I took some of his bags and followed behind him as we headed out the door. I put them in the trunk and got into the drivers seat to start the car. He got in beside me and looked over at me, smiling "Alright, lets go." I put the car into drive and we pulled away from the house.

We were pretty quiet on the drive there, and we didn't speak much until I walked him over to his gate. He turned around and give me a hug. "I'll miss you Peyton." "I'll miss you too." I let go of him and smiled, and he smiled back. "Don't fall in love with anyone while I'm gone" he said with a grin on his face. My heart sank as Jake popped into my head. I closed my eyes and shook my head, clearing it of Jake, for now. "I would never" He leaned in and kissed me, said goodbye and made his way to the plane. When he was out of sight, I sighed.  
This was going to be harder than I thought.  
I walked out of the airport and got into the car, pulling out my phone. I called Jake.  
"Hello?"  
"Hey. Its Peyton." I could hear the smile in his voice. "Hey Peyton" "I need you to meet me at Tric. We have to talk." The smile disappeared. "Okay. I Can be there in twenty minutes?" "Alright. I'll see you then." I hung up the phone, took a deep breath and made my way to Tric.

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**Sorry it took so long! I promise I will try and have chapter 4 up as soon as possible!  
Please R&R! 3 =) **


	4. Second Go?

I parked the car outside of Tric and got out. It looked dead, which was good. I didn't want to be seen by a lot of people and have them jump to conclusions. I couldn't risk anything getting back to Lucas.

As I walked up the stairs, I tried to think about what I would say to Jake, but all I could think about was what he would say to me. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I stood in front of the door. Here we go.

I walked in and looked around for Jake. "Peyton!" I turned around to see him standing beside a table and I headed towards him. "I'm glad you called". I sighed. "Lets just sit down for a bit. I need to talk to you." "well, I need to talk to you too." I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead. "Jake…" when I opened my eyes again, he was looking at me, and his faced looked so serious. "I know you talked to Lucas." He opened his mouth to say something, but I held me hand up, stopping him. "I appreciate you not saying anything to him about the day of the wedding, or about me. However, I wish that you wouldn't have said anything to him at all." "Peyton. _He_ pulled over to talk to _me_. Him and I are friends too, remember?" "Yeah, I know. But I feel like it just complicates things further." "How? Its not like I gave anything away about us. I-" "Us?" The look on his face was one of confusion. "Well…Yeah." "Jake, there is no _us. _There can never be an 'us' again. I'm with Lucas now, why can't you understand that?" He looked a little hurt. "I can. I understand that you love Lucas, but you and him will never have a love like we had. Peyton, our love was so strong. It still is. I can feel it. Why can't you?" I was getting angry and upset. I could feel tears threatening to spill over. "Jake," my voice was hard. "Why are you doing this? After all this time, why did you have to come back? I. Am. With. Lucas. I love him. That's all there is to it." I stood up and bolted out the door and down the stairs. I just wanted to get away from him.  
I heard the door slam open again. "Peyton! Please! Don't go."  
I dug around in my purse trying to find my car keys so I could get out of here. "Hey. Please juts listen to me." I felt his hand on my shoulder and jerked away from him. "What? What else do you want Jake?" I was starting to cry. "Is trying to get me and Lucas to split up not enough?" He looked defeated. "I'm sorry Peyton. That's not what I'm trying to do" "Oh? And what exactly _are_ you trying to do?" "I just want you to give me a chance to show you what we can have. What we can be together." "Don't…" "Did Lucas tell you what I told him?" "…Yeah" My voice was a whisper. "That part about me coming back to find something that was important to me that I left behind?" "Jake," "It's you, Peyton. You're that important something that I left behind. Ever since then, I've regretted it. I know it was the best thing for Jenny, but I hate myself for leaving you." That pissed me off. "You're the one who told me to go! Because of some stupid dream where I said 'I love you, Lucas'." I scoffed, "I guess it wasn't so stupid after all, was it?" "Telling you to go back to him was one of the hardest things I have ever done. My head was telling me it was the right thing to do, but my heart was telling me not to let you go. I should have listened to my heart. I shouldn't have let you go". He reached out and touched my arm. "Please just give me another chance." "I'm with Lucas. I can't" "Peyton. Please". Why did I feel like I should give him a chance? No matter how much I wanted to just ignore it, there was a part of me that did want to give him that chance, as well as the other part of me that wanted to go to Lucas. I had to find out which part of me was stronger, the Jake part, or the Lucas part.  
"Okay. Fine." Jake smiled and my heart almost skipped a beat. I really missed his smile. "But you need to know that I do love Lucas. I really love him. Nothing will happen between you and me. We can go out together, but I will not cheat on Lucas. Understood?" He stifled a laugh. "Understood.  
I was going to get an earful from Brooke about this.  
"Thank you Peyton." He reached out and pulled me in tightly, wrapping his arms around me. I hesitated at first, but I returned the hug.  
I smiled to myself. He smelt really good.  
He released me from our embrace. "So, I'll see you later then?" I smiled softly and replied, "yeah". "Okay, how about tonight?" "Tonight?" "Yeah. It'll just be a casual thing, I promise." Casual? I didn't know if anything between Jake and I could be casual. "Uhm…yeah. Tonight sounds good." "Good. Then I'll see you tonight. Bye Peyton." He gave me a quick hug and headed to his motorcycle, waving to me as he drove off.  
After he turned out of the parking lot, I turned back to my car. When I looked up, I froze. I could see Haley standing over by the bottom of the stairs, her eyes glued to me.

Haley poured us some Coffee and handed me a cup before sitting across from me at her kitchen table.  
"Why do I feel like this has trouble written all over it?" she smirked. "I think that the only way to get him to leave is to show him that there isn't anything between us anymore." She looked at me curiously. "Is there?" "What? Of course not!" She glanced out the window and sighed, looking back to me. "Look, Peyton, you and Jake…there was something there when you two were together, we could all see that." "I know that, but things have changed Hales. Were not together." "Yeah, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the love you guys had is gone. From what I saw today, that love is still there. It looks stronger on his end, but your love for him isn't as non-existent as you think it is. Maybe there is still something there…"  
I was having a hard time believing she was saying this to me. Haley has always been team Lucas.  
"I want you and Lucas to be happy…" she looked me in the eyes, "but maybe you two aren't meant to be happy together." Was she actually saying this to me?  
"Haley, Lucas and I _are_ happy together." "You're happy together now, but its not guaranteed that you'll be happy together 5, 10 or even 20 years from now. If Jake is the one that will make you happy for the rest of your life, then that is so okay, but you need to let Lucas know. The sooner the better." It sure makes it difficult when your two best friends have completely different opinions on something so important. I guess it just proves that the only who can figure this all out and make the right decision, is me.  
"I love Lucas, Haley. I mean, yeah, I love Jake, we were together for a while and what we had was an amazing and intense love. But that was then, and this is now. Lucas is now. He is the one that I love." I could see doubt in her eyes, but she just nodded. "Okay. Well, you have 3 more days before Lucas comes home. Hopefully you can figure things out before he does." I felt doubtful myself, but I needed Haley to trust me. "Yeah, lets hope."I smiled, taking a sip of my coffee.

I took a deep breath and thought to myself _" just think about Lucas, and everything will work out perfectly." _ I smiled to myself and repeated Lucas' name in my head.  
Tonight I was going to prove that whatever Jake and I had, is gone.

_"I love Lucas. I love Lucas. I love Lucas. Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas, Lucas. I love Lucas. Lucas. Jake. Jake. Jake…"_

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_**Well, my plans to upload this chapter as soon as possible didn't quite go as planned. Sorry!  
I promise I will try and get Chapter 5 up as soon as i can!  
In the meantime, i hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

*Please R&R! LoveLoveLove 3* 


	5. Memories

I could feel the butterflies flitting around inside me. Why was I feeling like this? It wasn't like it was a _date _or anything. I was only going out. With Jake. As friends. Although I think I believe that more than he does.

_**Ding!  
**_The sound of the doorbell made me jump. I quickly gathered myself and headed towards the door. When I opened it, Jake was on the other side, greeting me with a smile. "Hi Peyton" "Hey" "You ready?". I gave him a small smile "yeah, lets go". I closed the door behind me and we walked down to his motorcycle. "Here" he said as he handed me a helmet. "Thanks I replied, and hopped on behind him. He started it up and looked over his shoulder, "hold on tight". I slowly wrapped my arms around him and braced myself for the acceleration.  
I guess I didn't brace myself enough, because as soon as he pulled away, I pulled myself closer, tightening my arms around him, and somehow, it was amazing comforting to be so close to him.

When we finally came to a stop, I let go of Jake and got off the bike. I took the helmet off, shaking my hair out, and turned around to see where we were.  
"Tric?" I turned back around to face him.  
"Yeah," he laughed "is that okay?" "Jake, look how busy it is. The parking lot is packed." He looked confused. "Yeah? Well it usually is at this time, is it not?" "Uh, yeah, which is why we can't be here." "I don't get it."  
I sighed, "I don't think it's a good idea of us to be here. Together."  
He continued to look at me, not saying anything.  
"I just don't want to be seen here with you."  
He looked mockingly hurt. "Ouch! Am I really that embarrassing?" "Its not a joke. People talk around here. I don't want anyone to see us together and get the wrong idea. Haley saw us this morning." "And that's a bad thing?" "It could have been if it was someone else. If Lucas was to find out that we were out like this, it wouldn't be good." "Peyton, you make it sound like were having an affair" "That's not funny! Lucas knows what we had. I don't want to risk anything."  
He sighed. "Okay"  
"I'm sorry."  
He looked around. "What?" I asked. "Come on, I know where we can go". I put the helmet back on, got on the bike, and we drove off.

"Oh my god." I said as I got off the bike and pulled off the helmet. "Is this better" he asked. I took a few steps toward the middle of the basketball court, memories flooding back. "I figured this would be okay" he smiled at me. I felt like it had been so long since I had been back to the river court. "Yeah, this is great" I said as I walked over to sit on top of the picnic table. "I've had really great memories here with the guys…" he sat down beside me, "and you". I couldn't help myself from blushing, which Jake noticed, and he smiled at me. "I remember coming here almost every night. I loved it. I will always have a place in my heart for the river court" I said and Jake looked at me, saying, "What about the good old high school days?"  
I laughed. "Good? I wouldn't exactly say all the high school days were good". Now he laughed. I looked at him, "you know, one thing about a high school that was hard for me, was you leaving".  
It was the truth. When Jake left, I didn't think I would ever get over it.  
"I never thought I would see you again. I mean, I hoped I would, but I never knew." "Trust me, I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to leave you."  
I was starting to shake.  
"I was so made at Nicky for making you go. But I understood that it was what was best for Jenny, and I'm glad that you did it for her."  
He reached out and touched my hand. "I came back." "And I was so happy that you did." I turned to face him. "You saved me that night. If you hadn't come, who knows what would have happened. I needed you so bad, and you came." I was on the verge of tears. "I'll always be here for you, Peyton. Always" I softly smiled at him. It was nice to hear him say that. "Do you remember the time capsule?" he asked. "Yeah, how could I not. That brings back some not so good memories." "I said I was falling in love," he touched my hand, "with you."  
I silently gasped, and slowly looked up at him. "That was then, Jake." "It hasn't changed much, Peyton. Only now, I'm no longer falling in love with you. I've fallen." "But then you left me again" I could feel my tears starting to push over the edge. He took my hand in his and said "I had to" "I know. I know that. But I was willing to go with you." "I couldn't let you. You needed to finish high school. I couldn't live with myself it you gave up everything just for me" "I wouldn't have given up everything.." I slowly looked up at him. "Peyton…". I tried to smile. "I guess it was for the best. If I had gone with you, I wouldn't be with Lucas now." "Right. Lucas." I could tell that those words had hurt him.  
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up" "Don't worry about it" he smiled at me, but I could tell it was forced.  
I have to admit it though, there were times where I had wondered what would have happened if Jake and I had stayed together.  
I turned to him. "Hey, Jake?" "Hm?" "Where do you think we would be if we were together? If I had never had that dream, and if I had stayed with you?". He thought about it, and I could see a smile on his face, and it was genuine. It made me smile.  
"Well," he looked me in the eyes, "Honestly, I probably would have proposed to you." His smile got bigger as he went on. "I could see us being happily married, living in Savannah, maybe with a baby or two. I know Jenny would love that. You would be doing something you love, as would I. And we would be so in love. And so happy.  
I felt warm tears spilling down my face. He had really thought about it for a while. It made me so upset knowing I had really hurt him that night I had that dream.  
I started crying harder, and I stood up and walked across the court.  
"Peyton?" Jake got up and followed me. "Hey?" he touched my arm. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry."  
I couldn't believe how upset this was making me. I was so sad that I had missed out on this life I could have had with Jake, and Jenny. My heart felt like it was about to explode.  
"Hey, come here. Its okay." I felt Jake wrap his arms around me, and I suddenly felt more at ease. I wrapped my arms around him and held onto him tightly. I felt so safe in his arms.  
He pulled me in closer to him, and whispered in my ear, "I hate seeing you cry. I'm sorry."  
I slowly pulled away from him and looked up at him.  
"I would have said yes."  
"What?"  
I quickly glanced down before returning my gaze to his. "If you had proposed to me, I would have said yes." Why was I telling him this? "Damn" he smiled, "I really blew that one didn't I?" We both softly laughed and he pulled me in for a hug again, and I hugged him back. "You're so amazing Peyton" he whispered in my ear. We both pulled away and he held me out at arms length. I knew what was coming next, but I couldn't stop it. Or maybe I just didn't want to. I wasn't sure.  
Jake slowly leaned in, holding my face in his hands, and he kissed me.  
I returned his kiss.  
I liked the way his lips felt against mine. My body started to shake.  
I slowly pulled away.  
"I-I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that" Jake apologized. I stepped back. "I think I need to get home." "Yeah. I'll take you home."

When we pulled up in front of my house, I slid off his motorcycle and handed the helmet back to him.  
"Thanks for coming tonight, Peyton."  
I gave him a small smile. "It was a good night. Thank you."  
He looked down.  
"Goodnight Jake." I Turned around and started toward the house, when he said something that made me stop.  
"It could still happen, Peyton. You and me. Its not too late."  
I turned around. "Jake, don't. I don't want to talk about this. Lucas will be back in two days, and when he does, we wont be able to see each other like this. Please don't make this any more complicated than it already is.  
He sighed. "I wish we had more time. I don't want to leave you again." "Goodnight, Jake. I'll talk to you another time" I said as I turned and headed into the house. As I shut the door behind me, I let out a sigh. Why did he always have to do this?  
I ran my fingers over my mouth, and I could still feel his kiss lingering on my lips.  
I wish we had more time too. I still hadn't figured out what I was going to do.

As I headed to the bedroom, the phone began to ring. I walked into the kitchen to answer it.  
"Hello?" "Hey baby. I miss you so much!"  
It was Lucas. I was so relieved to hear his voice. "I miss you too. How's New York?" "Its very hectic. Unfortunately, I have some bad news." My heart sank. "Oh? What's wrong" "I have to stay for at least another week or so. They need me for a bunch of meetings and what not for this book." "Oh." "Sorry baby. I wish I could come home to you right now." "Its okay. You deserve to have this book be the best it could be. I can wait another week." "You're amazing Peyton. I love you." "I love you too." "I have to go, but I promise I'll call you soon, okay?" "Okay. Bye Lucas." "Bye, Peyton. I love you." And with that, the call ended.  
I guess that gives me the extra time I need with Jake. Only now, I didn't know if I needed the extra time, more than I wanted it…

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**Yay! I finally got one up early!  
I hope you guys like this chapter.**

***Please R&R!* **


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